This invention relates to safety devices for portable firearms, and more particularly to a child-proof safety device which can be used in the field.
A variety of safety devices are presently available for rifles, pistols, shotguns and other portable firearms. Typical devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,154,874, 3,193,959 and 3,208,176, call for a plug which is placed in the firearm to prevent a live round from being accidentally inserted therein. Such plugs can be locked into place so that children cannot easily remove or dislodge them. Other safety devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,137,957 and 3,022,598, include rods or cables, which pass through the barrel, together with dummy rounds or other means disposed within the firing chamber for preventing the insertion of a live round. Such devices may also be locked to make them child-proof. Other patents of interest are:
______________________________________ 3,813,802 (Prospero, 1973) 3,382,596 (Rockwood, 1966) 3,027,674 (Mahan, 1959) 2,997,802 (Robbins, 1959) 2,937,666 (Maisch, 1957) 2,887,807 (Santangelo 1959) 2,763,081 (Huckabee, 1953) 2,559,376 (Schnitger, 1947) 2,327,334 (Parker, 1941) ______________________________________
None of the above disclosed devices has provided a simple, inexpensive and yet effective means for rendering a firearm safe, easpecially as to young children. Also, none of such devices has proven practical for in-field use, whle at the same time offering satisfactory protection for children and unwary adults.